ASHBURN, Va.—This is what you get with Washington Redskins wide receiver Pierre Garcon. A player capable of turning a short gain into an 88-yard touchdown, as he did against New Orleans. Or taking another short catch in traffic with a leaping catch, then accelerating the moment his foot touches the ground and outracing more defenders for a 59-yard score. He did that against Dallas.

You get this too. A physical receiver who blocks as well as he runs, making a difference in creating holes for Alfred Morris downfield. And one who has altered the mindset of the receiving group. That, occasionally, leads to a block that comes late resulting in a penalty. That same fire causes him to spin the ball after a catch, which, last week at least, led to yet another penalty.

Pierre Garcon's addition has been crucial to the success of a young Redskins offense this season. (AP Photo)

It's all part of the Garcon package. It's all part of the reasons why the Redskins are happy they signed Garcon last offseason. The catches tell one part of the story: He has 34 catches for 498 yards and four touchdowns despite missing six games with a foot/toe injury. The rest of Garcon's story is the approach he also brought to Washington. He's rubbed off on the others.

"Of course he did," second-year receiver Leonard Hankerson said. "He brought an attitude like a tough, physical guy, go out there and make plays and get in guys faces. That gets everyone going."

"He's angry out there, and I love it," Redskins offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan said. "When you see a guy like that who's our top receiver and the way he competes in the run game and the way he fights for every yard, does not mind the contact, I think it bleeds to every receiver in the group. We have a great group (of receivers). We have a good thing going. It starts with Pierre."

Yes, it does. The Redskins are 7-1 with Garcon in the lineup. They've produced without him, but they're better with him: 29.5 points per game when he plays; 24.2 when he doesn't. He's also averaging 7.9 yards after the catch, with 117 of his 267 YAC coming on two touchdown receptions.

For the record, however, Garcon doesn't understand the playing angry description.

"I don't know what you're talking about, I'm just out there playing football, excited," Garcon said.

Nor does he understand the fuss made over him spinning the ball — and talking to it — after receptions. He says it's just a celebration.

The coaches like what he brings. In a win over Tampa Bay, Garcon drew a 15-yard penalty for blocking his man after the whistle. It cost them yards, but coach Mike Shanahan was more pleased by what drove Garcon to block that way in the first place: his mindset.

"A lot of times receivers don't block," Shanahan said. "He takes as much pride in blocking as he does in running routes."

It's also worth noting that he's surpassed 85 yards receiving in four of his eight games. The other Redskins receivers have yet to reach that mark. There's a reason the team targeted him first in free agency last offseason, eventually signing the ex-Colt to a five-year deal for $42.5 million with $20.5 million guaranteed.

"Pierre is extremely talented. He's as good as any receiver in this league," Kyle Shanahan said.

Garcon isn't perfect. He'll drop the occasional pass; he didn't help rookie quarterback Kirk Cousins with a route he ran against Cleveland last week leading to an interception.

But he's also playing hurt, with plantar's plate underneath the second toe on his right foot. It limited him in two games earlier this season, it affects him still. However, in the past four games, he's caught 23 passes for 340 yards and three touchdowns.

"All year he hasn't really been able to come off the ball," Kyle Shanahan said. "He's had to tempo himself to break down. When you're a receiver and you can't make every route look like a go route, it's tough. It's tough to separate like he's used to."

Garcon said, "It's getting better, but I can't say I'm 100 percent."

He hasn't needed to be to make an impact. Not that Garcon notices what he's done for this group.

"I haven't paid much attention to it, I'm just out there giving my all, and that's all I can control," he said. "That's what the coaches want, 100 percent effort. You can't coach that."